Ensure while pregnant

Can Pregnant Women Drink Ensure? Is It Safe?

It’s no secret that women need more nutrients during pregnancy. This leads many women to wonder whether or not drinking Ensure is a necessary or even safe addition to their diet in order to keep them and their baby nourished.

Marketed as a food instead of a supplement, Ensure brand nutrition shakes are all perfectly safe to drink when pregnant. They do contain a moderate amount of vitamin A, so it’s best to moderate your intake based on how much of the vitamin you get from other sources, such as prenatal pills.

While all of the Ensure drinks are safe during pregnancy, with so many different styles there’s a lot to consider. I’ve also created a simple guide to their most popular versions, complete with nutrition and safety information.

Covered in this Article:

Is It Safe to Drink Ensure During Pregnancy?  

Ensure, produced by the company Abbott, makes many different styles of nutrition products. They are maybe best known for their protein shake, but also sell nutrition shake powder, nutrition bars, and rehydration drinks.

You may have read in the protein shake article that not all protein or nutrition shakes are marketed as foods. If you haven’t already read this article, head over and check it out for the overall safety of protein shakes during pregnancy.

Luckily for Ensure drinkers everywhere, all Ensure products are marketed as foods. This means the ingredients are all FDA approved as food-safe (source: Ensure). This also means Ensure is safe when pregnant.

Further, albeit anecdotal, evidence of their safety comes from their use in hospitals. Ensure has long been a brand used in medical settings where it’s ordered for patients who are unable to eat enough food during the day. I frequently use Ensure shakes with patients at my day job.

Regardless of the style of Ensure shake, they all include some vitamins and minerals. For women who are not able to eat enough during the day (for example, with extreme morning sickness), these added nutrients can be a big help, especially since many vitamins and minerals are needed in greater amounts during pregnancy.

Since there are so many different styles of Ensure products, I’ve broken down the safety and nutrition considerations for some of the most popular versions:

Ensure Plus	Recently revamped to give you more protein, Ensure Plus now has 16 grams of protein per bottle plus enough calories to make it a well-rounded choice for women who have accidentally missed a meal.
Ensure Original	Ensure Original provides 9 grams of protein and a moderate amount of energy, making it a balanced snack choice. Their original shake also boasts the largest array of flavors, including a latte flavor.
Ensure Enlive	Ensure Enlive packs the biggest nutritional punch. With protein and energy comparable to Ensure Plus, Enlive also offers 2 extra grams of fiber and plant-based omega-3 fatty acids.
Ensure Max Protein	Of all of Ensure products, Ensure Max offers the most protein at 30 grams. The 11 ounce carton is slightly larger than other Ensure drinks. This drink is less energy dense, so it’s best used when you’ve eaten enough food during the day but are still lacking in protein. Be aware that the mocha flavor, while delicious, contains 100 mg of caffeine.
Ensure Powder	Simply the powdered version of Ensure Original, the two products are nutritionally equal. Ensure Powder does give you extra flexibility to add other ingredients during prep, which can help change the flavor as this one is only available in vanilla.

Tip: From my personal experience, Ensure shakes taste best cold. While they’re completely shelf-stable and don’t need to be refrigerated until opening, try one of the shakes poured over ice.

Is Ensure Good During Pregnancy? 

There is a difference between what is “safe” during pregnancy and what helps you meet optimal nutrition.

Beyond a quality prenatal vitamin, most women don’t need any additional supplements to meet their nutritional needs, even while pregnant.

That said, there are a few situations where Ensure shakes can be beneficial.

If you’re having frequent cravings for low-protein foods, such as white bread or chips/crisps, then you may be missing out on protein. One or two servings of Ensure daily can help you meet your protein needs while still honoring your cravings.

Morning sickness and nausea are another time when Ensure can give you a much needed nutritional boost. I’ll give a more in-depth look at morning sickness later on in this article.

If you’re concerned that you aren’t eating enough, first and foremost, have an honest discussion with your medical provider. They’ll likely want to be sure there isn’t an underlying medical concern.

Can Ensure Help with Morning Sickness?

Morning sickness and nausea can turn many pregnant women off from food. If you are vomiting after a meal, are unable to keep solid foods down, or if you’re so nauseated that no food sounds appetizing, drinking an Ensure can be a great safety net and keep your nutrition up.

Sipping on the shake is often easier than sitting down to a full meal, especially if nauseous or if the smell of food is off putting. Choose a style higher in energy to help make up what you’re missing from food.

Drinking an Ensure won’t stave off morning sickness, but having a very empty stomach can also lead to nausea. Aside from staying hydrated with water or electrolytes drinks, drinking an Ensure can “buffer” a too-empty stomach and might help you feel a bit less sick.

How Much Ensure Can I Have Daily if I’m Pregnant?

According to the official Ensure website, 48-64 fluid ounces (or 6-8 bottles) of Ensure Original/Plus is the maximum recommended amount for healthy adults. However, during pregnancy, overconsuming vitamin A can lead to birth defects.

Each 8 ounce serving of Ensure Original contains 1,250 international units (IU) of vitamin A (source: Abbott Nutrition). Compared this to the maximum limit of 10,000 IU vitamin A recommended by the World Health Organization (source: Nutrients). You would need to drink 8 bottles of Ensure Original daily to hit this amount of vitamin A!

More than likely, however, you’ll be getting vitamin A from other sources as well. Both foods and prenatal vitamins contribute vitamin A. The amount of vitamin A in prenatal vitamins ranges from around 2000-5000 IU, which can be a significant part of your daily total. For a deep-dive into vitamin A toxicity in pregnancy, read this article.

Note: If you do choose to drink Ensure, it is safest to limit yourself to 6 bottles or fewer per day. For women taking a prenatal vitamin that’s higher in vitamin A, you will likely need to use more caution and limit yourself to no more than 2 bottles daily.

While Ensure is a perfectly safe complement to your pregnancy diet, the shakes are designed to supplement your diet and are not intended as your sole source of nutrition for an extended period of time.

If you’re relying on Ensure for a short period of time, choose Ensure Original or Plus, as these products are designed for complete and balanced nutrition.

As far as nutrition shakes go, Ensure has long been one of the most trusted brands and is even used in healthcare. While Ensure isn’t necessary for most women during pregnancy, all of their nutrition shake styles are safe to drink.

Because Ensure contains vitamin A, it’s best to limit yourself and not rely on them as your only source of nutrition. If you are having concerns about meeting your nutritional needs while pregnant Ensure can be a great safety net, but it’s always best to discuss these concerns with your medical provider.

This article has been reviewed and approved for publication in line with our editorial policy.

Can I Drink Ensure While Pregnant?

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• Drinking Ensure during pregnancy will help to provide complete nutrition for your body and maintain your baby’s growth. 
• To avoid an empty stomach, Ensure can be used in the management of morning sickness.
• Drinking Ensure can help reduce nausea experienced by pregnant women. 
• Ensure should be used in conjunction with a balanced diet. 

It’s no secret that pregnant women have increased nutritional needs, but most women find nutrition during pregnancy challenging. You will need approximately an additional 330 calories each day during your pregnancy. It can be confusing how to get enough calories through proper nutrition to maintain a healthy pregnancy.

Many pregnant women find eating difficult due to multiple complications of pregnancy. Morning sickness makes it near impossible to want to eat anything, let alone keep it down. How are you to meet your nutritional needs to maintain a healthy pregnancy when eating food is a challenge? Drinking Ensure at specific times throughout the day may help to ease some common symptoms of morning sickness.

With protein shakes, women who drink Ensure during pregnancy can get a much-needed nutritional boost. Specially formulated with vitamins and essential minerals, Ensure shakes help meet optimal nutrition recommendations during your pregnancy and promote your baby’s healthy development. 

While Ensure can promote health, you’ll want to make sure you understand the ingredients and the quantities that are right for you. Too much of some nutrients can have negative side effects. There’s a lot of variety of Ensure products and some drinks even contain caffeine! Consult with your doctor to determine which Ensure product is right for you and your developing baby.  

What Is Ensure?

First introduced to the market in 1973, Ensure produces nutritional drinks that provide complete and balanced nutrition. Ensure’s parent company, Abbott Nutrition, has over 100 years of trusted, science-based nutrition. Among doctors who recommend liquid nutritional products, Ensure is the #1 choice. 

Ensure drinks come in multiple options. Choosing which one is right for you means assessing your nutritional goals and knowing more about the products.

Ensure has two basic categories for drinks.

• Complete, balanced nutrition products provide well-proportioned macronutrients and essential vitamins and minerals.
• Targeted nutrition products specifically provide more significant quantities of protein and lower amounts of sugar.

​​Ensure drinks are formulated for optimal nutrition and contain concentrated protein, vitamins, and minerals. If you are sensitive to gluten, you will be pleased to learn that all Ensure drinks are gluten-free.

Drinks come in two options – prepared drink beverages or nutritional powders. The ready-to-drink shakes are convenient and don’t require refrigeration. Nutritional powders can be made into drinks as you need them. 

Ready to drink Ensure products come in both dairy and dairy-free options. Some dairy milk products are suitable for those who are lactose intolerant, so be sure to read the labels carefully.

What Are the Nutritional Guidelines for Pregnancy?

Growing a baby during pregnancy increases the nutritional recommendations for your body. You will need to increase your calories by approximately 300kcal/day throughout your pregnancy. 

Starting a quality prenatal vitamin prior to pregnancy is widely recommended. However, a prenatal vitamin should not replace balanced nutrition. Discuss with your health care provider which prenatal vitamin is best for you.

Pregnant women need more protein during your pregnancy. The recommended daily intake of protein for pregnant women is 60grams/day as compared to 46grams/day for non-pregnant women.  

Pregnant women need to consume more of certain vitamins and minerals during pregnancy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists  (ACOG) identifies the following as key vitamins and minerals and quantities needed during pregnancy:

• Calcium (1,300 milligrams for ages 14 to 18; 1,000 milligrams for ages 19 to 50)
• Iron (27 milligrams)
• Iodine (220 micrograms)
• Choline (450 milligrams)
• Vitamin A (750 micrograms for ages 14 to 18; 770 micrograms for ages 19 to 50)
• Vitamin C (80 milligrams for ages 14 to 18; 85 milligrams for ages 19 to 50)
• Vitamin D (600 international units)
• Vitamin B6 (1.9 milligrams)
• Vitamin B12 (2.6 micrograms)
• Folic acid (600 micrograms)

During a healthy pregnancy, you should expect to gain weight. The amount of weight recommended during pregnancy depends on your body mass index (BMI). The added weight is attributed to the growing baby, placenta, amniotic fluid, and changes in your body.

Gestational weight gain recommendations

Data from Institute of Medicine. Weight gain during pregnancy: reexamining the guidelines. Washington, DC: Institute of Medicine; 2009.

Is Ensure Safe to Drink During Pregnancy?

Ensure is considered a food and is safe to consume during pregnancy. These healthy drink options will provide you with high-quality protein, vitamins, and minerals to help meet the nutritional demands of your pregnancy. Although Ensure is safe to drink during pregnancy, you should consult with your health care provider to determine which drink and the quantity that is right for you.  

Ensure should be used in conjunction with a balanced diet and should not replace meals.

What Are the Benefits of Drinking Ensure?

Drinking nutritional beverages during your pregnancy can be a part of a healthy diet. Ensure drinks provide between 8grams – 30 grams of protein and up to 27 vitamins and minerals. Each serving of Ensure nutritional beverages contains between 150 – 350 calories. The extra boost of protein will help satisfy hunger, and the added calories will assist with the recommended weight gain. 

Ensure can be used by pregnant women who experience morning sickness to alleviate symptoms. The ACOG recommends having something to eat before getting out of bed and avoiding an empty stomach to manage morning sickness. Ensure’s prepared shakes are a convenient option available to you at any point throughout the day. 

Additionally, studies show that protein reduces nausea during pregnancy. 

As the baby grows larger during pregnancy, your stomach will be compressed. This decrease in space can make you feel uncomfortable after eating and result in nutritional gaps. Some women find it more comfortable to eat small meals or sip on Ensure to maintain optimal nutrition.  

Things to Remember Before Drinking Ensure While Pregnant

Although Ensure has many benefits for pregnancy, you’ll want to know a few things before you drink it. 

Some coffee-flavored Ensure drinks contain caffeine. ACOG recommends moderate caffeine consumption of less than 200 milligrams per day. If you are drinking other beverages containing caffeine, make sure to note how much caffeine you are consuming each day.

Most Ensure drinks contain dairy milk. If you are allergic to dairy or vegan, make sure you drink an option made with plant-based protein. 

Drinking Ensure should complement a regular diet during pregnancy and assist with the increased nutritional demands of pregnancy. If you cannot eat due to morning sickness, Ensure provides an excellent option for dietary needs.  

Ensure should not be used in place of regular meals and is not intended to help pregnant women lose weight during pregnancy. 

There are a lot of vitamins and minerals in Ensure. Sometimes too much of one thing can have harmful side effects. Excessive vitamin A intake has been linked to congenital anomalies. You will want to seek professional medical advice before drinking Ensure regularly to determine how much is safe for you.

Recommended Ensure Products During Pregnancy

Ensure has a wide array of options to choose from that are safe to consume during pregnancy. Knowing your goals for drinking Ensure will help you assess which product is right for you. Are you looking for a balanced blend with all of the nutrients? If so, then look at the complete, balanced nutrition options. Are you looking for more protein but do not want all of the carbohydrates from sugars? If so, then the targeted nutrition options may be suitable for you.

FAQs About Drinking Ensure While Pregnant

How many Ensures can I drink a day while pregnant?

Each woman has different needs. Pregnant women should always consult with their health care provider to determine what quantity of Ensure is safe for them.

Does Ensure contain dairy?

Yes, most Ensure products do contain dairy. However, many products are considered suitable for lactose intolerance. 

Does Ensure have artificial sweeteners?

Most Ensure products utilize a blend of sugar and the artificial sweetener sucralose. The Ensure Plus Nutrition Shake is the only beverage without sucralose. 

Can Ensure help you lose weight postpartum?

Ensure is a food that supplements your diet and is not intended as a product for weight loss. 

Can I drink Ensure and skip meals?

Some pregnant women may be resistant to gain weight. Ensure is meant to be used along with a balanced diet. If you can eat food, you should not skip meals. 

Can I drink Ensure while lactating?

Ensure uses food-grade products and is safe during lactation. Lactating women continue to have increased nutritional needs after pregnancy. While breastfeeding, mothers should consume an additional 330 to 440 kilocalories (kcal) per day.  

How much caffeine is in my coffee compared to Ensure?

A typical 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee contains about 95 milligrams of caffeine. A shot of espresso contains roughly 63 milligrams of caffeine. Ensure Max Protein Milk Chocolate with Caffeine contains 100 milligrams of caffeine. 

Remember that it’s recommended you keep your caffeine intake below 200 milligrams per day, so be aware of how these different drinks can add up.

A pregnant wife: instructions for her husband

During pregnancy, new processes begin to occur in a woman's body, often incomprehensible to both spouses.

Emotions, appetite, dizziness, changes in bodily sensations... Of course, all this affects relationships in the family. Husbands experience extreme stress and often do not know what to do - as if their wife had been replaced.

Of course, much in a relationship during pregnancy depends on how desirable the unborn child is. And on how the couple knows how to express their love for each other.

Communication with a pregnant wife requires special understanding, patience, and knowledge of the situation. To facilitate communication, we offer the husband some tips to help him get through this difficult period without loss.

Try to understand what cannot be experienced by yourself

It is not physically possible for a man to feel what is happening to a woman. Talk to your wife about things that she feels are bothering her. This will allow you to understand it better. Yes, you do not feel the same, but you are actively involved, you are there. You are one hundred percent in the process. A man can simply sympathize and provide comfort. Knowing that a husband is worried about his wife is very important. This will give her strength and calmness.

Take on more household chores

Listen to your wife's wishes. Any. Household or even requests for small things. Take out the trash, hang up laundry after washing, take over the washing of dishes or finally install a dishwasher. Any help is important, this is a real manifestation of care and love. Even if you were brought up with the understanding that there are “male” and “female” jobs in the house, you will have to break the stereotype. Take into account that such times are already in the past, when women did not work, but took care of the house. In a modern society, where both men and women work equally, it is also customary to share responsibilities, and even more so in such a difficult period for a woman.

Take care of your wife and fulfill all her "whims"

It may seem to you that your wife has turned into a terrible shrew and asks for the impossible. This is not so, in the body of a woman during this period, hormones made a real mess, hence the strange behavior, habits, requests. Believe me, your wife does not mock you. And if she wanted peaches in the middle of the night in winter, then run headlong through all the supermarkets in search of what she wants. All the same, she will not let you fall asleep and will throw a tantrum. Because it is very important for her, no matter how strange her request may seem to you. It is likely that she herself will then be surprised by her behavior.

If she asks you not to wear cologne, hide it away. Does she no longer like your beard? Shave without regrets. If she does not want intimacy, then she will have to put up with it. Not always women experience pleasant sensations from sex during pregnancy. Do not rush her, be affectionate and gentle and she herself will seduce you if she wants to.

A woman's legs get very tired during pregnancy. Still, the weight is growing, the blood vessels of the legs are compressed under the weight of the fetus, and the ankles are also swollen. Give her a foot massage with lavender and peppermint oils before bed. This will relieve tension before going to bed and relax a woman. Your wife will be grateful to you. Offer to help with everything, even if you need to shampoo and blow dry your hair.

Trust your wife and don't give too much advice

Often men give advice to their wife that they once heard from their mother. When showing concern about the state of pregnancy, it is important for a husband to use any information in moderation. Even doctor's advice may not always be appropriate. Believe me, a woman feels better what exactly she needs at this particular moment - women's instincts are perfectly developed. And the information from your mother may no longer be relevant, even worse, it will irritate your wife. It is better to read the popular modern literature on this topic yourself and invite her to discuss the book together.

"Filter" the environment and external information

Try to protect your wife from negativity during this period. These can be people who are unpleasant to her (even from among relatives), violent films and programs, discussions of unsuccessful pregnancy and childbirth on Internet forums.

A woman is too receptive at this time and can think up a lot of unnecessary things, and people unpleasant to her will cause her stress. Better bring her more good videos about children, animals and happy love. Come up with reasons for her why she can't go to the birthday party of a cousin she can't stand
cannot.

A woman is now like a fragile vase, fill it only with soft toys and sweets and make sure that needles do not accidentally fall into it.

Maintain love, make efforts

After a certain period of time - usually from a year to three - the feeling of love sharply declines. Even the wife's pregnancy does not save. Therefore, a man's initiative is needed. Support love with your actions. It is important to understand that it depends on you whether the love fire will be maintained or whether it will die out. And remember that a child is the result of love. Show love, do not accumulate omissions and resentment. Move on to the next level.

Everything will work out if you consciously go through this difficult but amazing period of pregnancy. And it is best to experience it together with your beloved wife, without standing aside.

Proper lifestyle during pregnancy

12 tips for proper lifestyle during pregnancy

Congratulations, you are pregnant! It's time to reconsider your lifestyle, because the main task of the expectant mother is the birth of a healthy baby. Remember to eat well and stay active

As a mom-to-be, you need high-fiber, low-fat foods

Eat a balanced diet. Avoid prohibited foods during pregnancy

For example, caffeine or some types of fish should be consumed in moderation. Find out more

A healthy and well-balanced diet combined with a multivitamin/mineral supplement such as Elevit® Pronatal is important during pregnancy. This will help provide the body with the nutrients it needs for a healthy pregnancy.
Elevit® Pronatal is a special complex that has clinically proven efficacy in the prevention of congenital malformations in the development of the unborn child ⁶ . Contains 12 vitamins and 7 minerals to meet the increased needs of the body during pregnancy and lactation Elevit® Pronatal taken once a day in the morning with meals

Simple measures, such as washing hands before preparing food, keeping kitchen surfaces clean, washing fresh fruit and vegetables thoroughly, and storing food properly and at the right temperature, will help avoid unnecessary risks in pregnancy.

This way you will know what to expect during pregnancy and better prepare for childbirth.

Toxicosis can also affect your lifestyle. There are several ways to avoid morning sickness . One of them is the intake of a special multivitamin-mineral complex Elevit® Pronatal . Clinically proven Elevit® Pronatal relieves symptoms of morning sickness in pregnant women by 54% ⁵

7. Reduce the risk of constipation and heartburn.

During pregnancy, problems such as constipation and heartburn may occur. Use our tips to reduce the risk of their occurrence.

During pregnancy, it is important to keep fit and exercise. It helps to relax and prepare for childbirth. Try to get 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity: walking, swimming, yoga for pregnant women, and the like. If you regularly went in for sports before pregnancy, you should reconsider your set of exercises and reduce the load. It is important not to overdo it and reduce stress, do not engage in risky sports (where there is an increased risk of injury). Seek advice from your doctor if you're unsure which sports you can and can't do.

To reduce tension in your pelvic muscles, add Pelvic Floor Exercises to your daily routine.
They also help to strengthen the bladder.

During pregnancy, it is important to keep fit and exercise. It helps to relax and prepare for childbirth

Use a soft toothbrush as your teeth are more vulnerable during pregnancy. If you have morning sickness (vomiting), rinse your mouth with water and do not brush your teeth for a while to reduce the effects of the acid. When you visit your dentist, let him know that you are pregnant.

If you have a cat, use rubber gloves to clean its litter box, or better yet, ask someone else to do it for you. If you love gardening, don't forget rubber gloves as well.

We have provided a indicative list of things to know about pregnancy , use this as a guide.

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